In the wake of bitter political row erupting over imports of sugar from Pakistan, the Centre on Wednesday clarified that the country had only imported 13,110 metric tonnes (MT) of sugar worth $4.68 million from Pakistan during 2017-18.

It is clarified that in FY 2018-19 (Till 14.5.2018), import of sugar from Pakistan has been just 1908 MT for a value of USD 0.657 million. In 2017-18, there was an import of 13,110 MT for a value of USD 4.68 million, an official release said.

Recently, NCP activists led by a party MLA ransacked here on Monday a warehouse that stored sugar imported from Pakistan, an issue that also elicited strong reaction from the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena and a dig at the Centre from the Congress.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) workers led by senior leader and legislator Jitendra Awhad staged protests against a businessmen who had stockpiled sugar from Pakistan in a warehouse in Diaghar in Thane.

They also damaged some sacks and threw sugar on the floor.

We must see this import in the overall context that total annual sugar production of India is about 31.90 million MT in Sugar season 2017-18.  Further, India exported 1.75 million MT in 2017-18. During April-May 2018, the total export of sugar has been   240,093 MT, the release said.

Thus import from Pakistan has been very miniscule as compared to total production in the country and exports from India. Further, it has been reported that Pakistan Government has provided cash freight subsidy of Rs 10.7 per kg on sugar, it added.